Customers planning to ride our Empire Builder through St. Paul, Minn., this summer are in for a treat. A total restoration of St. Paul Union Depot (affectionately called “SPUD” by savvy travelers) is now complete, and beginning May 7, Amtrak will begin service to the magnificent building.

The service will begin before National Train Day, a free day of family-friendly festivities across the country on May 10.

“Just in time for National Train Day, Empire Builder passengers will have better access to all the Twin Cities have to offer from Union Depot with more local and regional connections, enhanced amenities and a historic waiting room hosting community events,” says Mark Murphy, Amtrak general manager for long-distance trains.

For history buffs traveling on the Empire Builder, be sure to Google “James J. Hill.” He was the namesake of the Empire Builder and also one of the nine founders of the St. Paul Union Depot Company, which built the original Union Depot waaaaaay back in 1881.

“These historic buildings can be saved, be made more relevant to the transportation network and serve as ‘front doors’ to their communities and to the future,” Murphy says of SPUD and similar openings in Denver and Kansas City.

This beautiful building isn’t just used as a transportation hub. Art installations, musical performances and community events are often hosted at the historic location, as explained by Rafael Ortega, the Ramsey, Minn., regional railroad chair, in the video above.

To learn more about SPUD and all that it has to offer, watch the video at the top of this page!